Vertically adjustable refrigerator shelf



June 10, 1958 L M. MILLER VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE REFRIGERATO SHELE Filed Dec 27' 1956 5 sheetssheet 1 m n N 3 Sheetssheet 2 L. M. MILLER VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE REFRIGERATOR SHELF June 10, 1958 F11ed Dec. 27' 1956 INVENTOR' June 10, 1958 L. M. MILLER VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE REFRIGERATOR SHELF 5 sheetssheet 3 VERTICALLY ADUSTABLE REFRIGERATOR SIIELF A icatll December 27 1956, Serial No. G30,8zz

9 Claims. Cl 3lz306 'lhis invention relates to a Shelf arangenent in a food storage compartment of a refrigerat01` cabinet.

AT1 0bject Of ly invention is to provide Ineans vvhefeby the user of a reffigerat0r can quickly and easily faise and/01 Wer the height of a shelf Within a food storage conlpartment of the Tefrigerat0r cabinet vvithout removing the Shelf therefrom.

Another object 0f nly invention is to provide an adjust able means f01 changing the height of a Shelf Within a food compartnlent of a Tefrigefator cabinet vvhich II10ves the rear portion of the Shelf sin1u1tane011s1y and throughout an equal distance with manllally moving the fr01jt of the shelf to obviate the necessity of relnoving food )r0d ucts suppofted thereon therefrom vvhen its height is to be altered.

A further object of ly invention is to provide Ileans Whereby to adjust or vary the height of a Shelf in a con1- PartnTent of a refrigerat0r cabinet from the front of the con]partnent and Which rneans includes a pfovision for locking the Shelf in any one of a plurality of adjusted l08itions t0 afford a Selectiol1t0 the user of the Tefrigerator of dierent f00d storage spaces above and bel0w the adjustable Shelf.

A Still further al1d m0Te specific object of n1y invention is to 10ck a Shelf in f00d 00Inpartnent of a fefrig erator cabinet agai11st removal thereffon1 a11d to support` Sanle on a movable rack arrangefnent which vvhen the front of the shelf is n1anually moved insures a like n10ve- Inent of T116 Tear porti0n 0f the Shelf therewith S0 that' the she1f renlains iIl a Substantia11y 110rizontal plane at all times Further objects and advantages of the preSent i11ventioll vvill be apparent ffon1 the f0110wing description, Tefe1 ence being had t0 the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the present invention iS clearly shown.

II1 the drawings:

igule l iS a front view of a household refrigerat01- cabinet having Iny inlproved adjustable She1f arrangement il1 the f00d t0age compartment thefe0f and showing 'the c0n1 artment door in 0)en position;

Figure Z is an enlarged fragn1entary broken horizontal Sectional vievv taken on the'line zz of Figure 1 Showing the shelf in normal Supported position in the food c0[npartn1ent With p0rtions of the Shelf broken away to illu...strate its supp0...ng Structure;

Figufe 3 is a enlarged fragmentry broken front view 0f the adjustable Shelf Supporting an adillsting structuTe taken in the direction of the arr0W 3 in Figure 2 with one side 0f the shelf in secfion Sh0wing a calT1 1Tlean associated therewith; and

Figure 4 is a vertical fragnlentary sectional vievv taken on the line 44 0f'Figure Z Showing by dot-dash lines the Shelf elevated in one osition Referring to the drawings I Show in Figure 1 thereof a household type refrigerator cabinet of Tectilinear co1- iiguration and con1prising an outer shell or panel ll and an inner metal liner 12 vvith any Suitable or conventional insulating material 14 disposed therebetween (See Figures Unite SeS Patent the refrigerator. The cooling eect produced by the evap 0ratof chill8 and causes circulation of C001 ai throughout theinterior of conlpaft1nent 15 for the reservation of foods Stored therein. The evap0rat01- has conduit con- Ilections vvith a refrigerant translating device of any Suit able 0I` desirable type Such as a n10tor-00Inpressorcon denser unjt, 0rdinarily mounted in a machine con1partment provided in the cabinet below compattment 15 as is conventional in the art A11 insulated door l8, sh0v11 in open position in Figure l is h'ingedly mounted 0n the Tefligefator cabinet and nornlally closes the open front of compartinent 15 Providing access theret0 Any number Of conventional Stationary Shelves 19 along With an adjustable shelf genefally Tepresented by the ref(...rence char actel z0, constructed and Supported in accordance vvith iny invention, Inay be Inounted in vertically Spaced apart Telationship Vithin cOnpartn1ent 15 fol Teceiving and supporting food products il1 the refrigerat0f cabinet ThiS invention )articularly resides in a provision for adju ting 0r c1anging the heigh of Shelf 20 vvi thin con 1)artn1eI1t 15 relative t0 the Shelve l therein Whereby to' vary the Space betvveen shelf z@ and the upper and 10vvel' Stationary shelves 19 S0 as t0 aOrd a selection to the llser of the refrigerat0 cabinet for the storage of tall and Shorter items in the food c0mpartment Accordingly and in ordel' to increase the utility Of Shelf 20 and that of the reffigerator cabinet I provide nleans whereby the llser of the fefrigerator can quickly and easily adjust Shelf 20 upwardly and/01- down-vardly Within compartment ls and can 10ck]the Shelf in lny one of a plurality of ad justed positions ShelveSI and 20 are nornally reticulated, as iS conventicnal in the art, t0 pernlit circulation of air therethrough but for the Sake of clarity in illustrting the present invenfjon Shelf 29 is disclosed aS being a continuous 0r imperfoTate 0Ile preferbly formEd of sheet Inetal Shelf z0 includes a mail1 body 01' food sup-' porting surface, an upturned rear ange 21 and a rolled or bent over front* 1in1 zz vvhich, along With flanged Tetic ulations normally provided therein, increases the Struc tural strength of the Shelf and IIlinimizes 01' jrevents bowing of the food supporting Surface area there0f. The

edge of bent over TimZZ Of shelf 20 has integral exten Sions rolled around to provide plike hinged n10untings 01' bearings 23 and 24 (see Eigure 3) fof Spaced rods 25 Tigidly'conlected together centrally of the shelf by a nletalhandle 2 So as to be si1T1u1taT1e011sly Totatable there5y. The 0ute 01' side ends of Tods 25 each have a shelf holding `means or element 27 vvelded or otherwise rigidly Secured theret0. This element 27 iS Pr0vided with aplurality of Spaced apart bent or Tatchet-1ike portions 28 fot a purp0se to be hereinafter described The outer 0l Side ends of rods -25 100Sely or hingedly Teceive dne end z9 0f inverte(1u-Shaped rails 31 Which extend along stationafy Sup 0rtS 35 to support the^ Shelf in one pre A Shelf uppoft' 

